Our first-ever Pebble Hackathon has wrapped, and the results speak for themselves: over 100 high school students participated, five standout projects rose to the top, and $70,000 in non-cash prizes were awarded to support continued learning and building.

First Prize: SafeZone
SafeZone was built to help people report incidents of social injustice and visualize them on a live heatmap. Using clustering algorithms and an AI language model, the app highlights patterns of racism, sexism, and assault—helping communities understand what’s happening around them. The team used React Native, Node.js, Firebase, and Google Maps to bring it all together. Their drive came from a simple, personal truth: technology should be used to protect and amplify real voices.

Second Prize: PureFindr
PureFindr makes life easier for animal rescue organizations. It’s a digital tool that helps new teams find task forces, facilities, and promotional support. Built in SwiftUI with Firebase and CocoaPods, the app faced technical hurdles, but the team pushed through. They’ve already got plans for version 2.0 with better onboarding and stronger security.

Third Prize: A.I.utism
A.I.utism helps individuals with autism recognize and practice facial expressions using OpenCV and machine learning. The team focused on building something that’s both technically advanced and emotionally supportive—something that could genuinely help people connect in new ways.

Most Popular Team: Aesa
Aesa took a social angle, building a platform that encourages guys to motivate each other with positive messages. Their web app is designed to change the way young men talk about mental health and support one another, using a vote-based moderation system and strong community design.

Each team tackled a different problem, but they all showed what’s possible when young builders have space, tools, and purpose. We’re proud of what they created—and what’s still to come.

— Arnav Bonigala